[HPforGrownups] Re: SS/PS Chapter Twelve Summary and Question s

[Jen Faulkner]

No: HPFGUIDX 29132

On Mon, 12 Nov 2001, Jim Beck wrote:

JB> Mde. Hooch runs the Quidditch teams.  That's hardly a stereotypical female
JB> position.  The stereotypical coach is a dumb, gone-to-seed male former jock.

I'll have to disagree with you here, at least partly.  The stereotype of
the male coach you mention is common enough, but there're equally
widespread stereotypes of female coaches.  Think 'gym teacher', if that
helps...  Females generally coach only female sports, however
(stereotypically, oh, let's say, field hockey *g*), and that there is a
female coach for a co-ed sport is one of the few non-traditional gender
things I think can be found in HP; both that the sport itself is co-ed
(except for the all-female Holyhead[field?] Harpies), which is
absolutely unparalleled in my experience of children's sports (even in
college, there's only, what, Ultimate Frisbee as a co-ed sport?), and I
don't think attributable to a British/American difference; and that a
female is presiding over a mixed-sex group are interesting violations of
traditional (stereotypical) gender roles.  But I would think Madam
Hooch's short grey hair does owe something to stereotype, and I think
fanon, which often does identify her as a lesbian, is picking up on
something that is a standard cultural interpretation of the textual
clues.  (I make no claim about JKR's intention in writing the character,
only about how readers have responded.)  So even here, the gender (and
sexual orientation) stereotype (even if only in readers' reactions that
owed nothing to the text) is creeping in.

--jen :)

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